MindsEye Supposed To Be The Next GTA, Now It's a Warning Sign For The Industry

MindsEye, the highly anticipated debut from Build a Rocket Boy, helmed by former Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies—has landed with a deafening thud, as it is currently drowning in a sea of "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam. MindsEye was supposed to be Benzies' triumphant return to the gaming spotlight. It was planned to be a bold, story-driven action-adventure game with clear inspirations from the GTA and Red Dead Redemption series. 

It's quickly becoming a cautionary tale in the world of AAA game launches, which is becoming less and less reliable. Released on June 10 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, MindsEye was meant to be more than just another open-world shooter. It carried the expectations of a developer who had helped shape the modern open-world genre. Meant to be a spiritual successor to the Rockstar formula, it had third-person shooting, mission-based development, vehicle gameplay, and a story told by AI. But the execution seems to have gone horribly wrong.

Users of Steam have given harsh comments. As of this writing, the game holds a "Mostly Negative" user rating based on over 500 reviews. The most common complaints? Severe optimization problems, bugs that undermine the core gameplay experience, and a general lack of polish have left players calling the game "unfinished" or "rushed." While a portion of the community praised the storyline and atmosphere, even those users couldn't ignore the frustratingly frequent technical issues. Reports of stuttering performance, even on high-end PCs, only further underline the disconnect between ambition and reality.

While the PC release has been slammed, the console versions are faring slightly better—but only just. On the PlayStation Store, MindsEye currently averages 3.26 out of 5 based on nearly 900 user reviews. The Xbox version sits just under four stars, though it too is marred by its own controversies. Notably, Xbox players did not receive the crucial day-one patch that Build a Rocket Boy claims is "necessary to play MindsEye as intended." The studio blames differing certification policies, but industry norms suggest that this was likely a case of a missed submission deadline—a hint that the game's release may have been rushed across the board.

Even before launch, warning signs were flashing. In May 2025, just weeks ahead of release, MindsEye found itself at the center of a bizarre controversy. When negative pre-release impressions began circulating on social media, Build a Rocket Boy co-CEO Mark Gerhard suggested—without evidence—that these comments were part of a smear campaign funded by unnamed parties. On the game's official Discord, Gerhard cryptically alluded to shadowy forces attempting to sabotage the game's reputation, with many interpreting the comment as a not-so-subtle jab at Rockstar Games, with whom Benzies had a long and litigious history.

As if that drama weren't enough, the studio experienced significant leadership departures just days before launch. Chief Legal Officer Riley Graebner and CFO Paul Bland both exited the company in early June, adding more fuel to the speculation that MindsEye was in trouble. As fans pointed out, it's rare for executives to abandon ship right before the release of what's expected to be a hit. These departures showed that the company wasn't stable when it should have been getting behind its first movie.

The idea behind the game is interesting on paper. Players take control of Jacob, a man who is trying to find the truth in a world where powerful AI, unchecked military power, and a threat to humanity's survival are the norm. With shooting, driving, and narrative choices at its core, MindsEye clearly wanted to capture the spirit of Benzies' Rockstar roots. Both players and critics have said, though, that the plot feels recycled and the game's controls aren't fully developed.

Even worse, the studio didn't send early review codes to Polygon or any other big gaming publication. Due to this oversight, professional reviews were not available at launch, forcing people who wanted to buy to rely solely on community comments and word of mouth. The result? An avalanche of skepticism and buyer hesitation.

There's a silver lining—at least in theory. Build a Rocket Boy has pledged to grow the game post-launch based on player feedback. They've promised additional patches and improvements in the coming weeks and months, including the overdue Xbox update. Whether that will be enough to turn the tide remains to be seen. Gamers have become increasingly wary of post-launch promises, especially after high-profile disasters like Cyberpunk 2077's 2020 release.

Interestingly, MindsEye wasn't originally supposed to be a standalone title. It began life as an in-game experience within Everywhere, Build a Rocket Boy's planned metaverse-style platform. The success and ambition of MindsEye eventually led to its separation as a full retail game. But some are now wondering whether that decision was premature. Perhaps what should have remained a tech demo or a component of a larger platform was instead thrust into the unforgiving spotlight of standalone release far too early.

Ultimately, the game MindsEye shows both the good and bad sides of AAA games today. It's about a seasoned professional in the field who tries to make a statement but runs into technical problems, strange PR choices, and a rough final result. Is it possible to save the game with patches and help? Perhaps. But in its current state, it's hard not to see MindsEye as a sobering reminder that even the most experienced developers can misstep in the high-stakes world of modern game development.